A former soldier who fought for his country in Afghanistan, but was forced out of the Army after developing a brain tumour, is facing life on the streets with his wife and four children after Cornwall Council has refused to house the family, just because they did the 'honourable thing'.

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Jamie and Charmaine Streets and their four children, Suvannah, two; Briea, nine; Leo, 13 and Tyler, 15,|have been warned they are to be |evicted from their temporary council accommodation at Longfield in Falmouth within the next month or so after their application for a permanent council house was rejected.

The couple claim they are being penalised for doing the “honourable thing” and voluntarily leaving a private rented property after their money ran out which meant they had to rely on benefits. Their landlady’s mortgage agreement meant she could not accommodate tenants on benefits so the Streets served notice and moved out.

“My husband is a proud man and didn’t want bailiffs and the police turning up at the door so we did the honourable thing,” said Charmaine, “but in the council’s eyes that was not the right thing to do. They say we have made ourselves intentionally homeless.

“They (the council) are throwing me, my husband and four children out on the streets so we are going to be homeless – who do we turn to?”

Just two years ago the family were enjoying Army life. Jamie had served 15 years, first in the Household Cavalry Regiment, serving in Kosovo and then seeing active duty in Afghanistan. When he returned in 2008, he took up ceremonial duties with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, but it was after being thrown twice from a horse that we was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour.

He underwent surgery which left his speech affected and with no movement in his left side, but after four weeks in hospital and rehabilitation at Headley Court, he returned to work. However, a seizure suffered a year later led to the end of his Army career as he was medically discharged in May 2013 – against his wishes.

The family moved to Falmouth, where Charmaine was born and grew up – her parents Kerry and Janice Reeve still live on The Beacon as does her sister. The children were enrolled at local schools – the boys at Penryn College and Briea at Falmouth Primary Academy – and they moved in to their private rental.

Since then, the Army payout has dwindled as Jamie, 34, has been unable to find work. Now that he has his driving licence back, after the DVLA barred him from driving because of his seizures, and he has enrolled on a plumbing course, the hope is the family can get back on track but in the mean time they are facing the prospect of being homeless.

“Jamie wanted to serve 22 years in the army and we had planned to buy our own home, but it didn’t happen that way,” said Charmaine, 37. “He adored his job – he was army barmy – but he lost it through medical reasons.

“Are we expected to walk the streets with our four children? The kids are worried and it’s putting a big strain on us as a family.”

Cornwall Housing would not comment on an individual case, but did release this statement.

“Cornwall Housing offers a homelessness service and has a duty to provide housing for people who meet strict criteria – it does not have a duty to provide accommodation for all households making a homeless application.

“Once a homelessness application has been made, a dedicated homelessness officer will consider it in more detail and will hold an interview and investigate all the circumstances before making a decision. The applicant can request a review of the decision if they think it is incorrect.

“The council may provide temporary accommodation for some households until they find alternative accommodation. It is important to understand that being provided with temporary accommodation by the council is not a guarantee that permanent council or housing association accommodation will be offered. Applicants are expected to look for their own accommodation, as well as registering on the list for social housing.

However, Cornwall Housing provides a comprehensive Housing Options Service which gives appropriate advice and assistance to households to resolve their housing situation or support them |in securing alternative housing. Cornwall Housing offers a wide range of prevention measures which are available based on individual household assessments and which aim to help people avoid becoming homeless in the first instance.”